Lost and Found
by secretballetdancer
Summary: Ariel Summers never counted on meeting Campbell Saunders' twin at Heartstone Academy in Montreal. Who is Teddy Ralston, and why is Ariel drawn to him like a moth to flame? Can Ariel's gift of Second Sight help Teddy heal from the pain of losing the brother he never knew? Takes place from the end of S12 of Degrassi and the end of Season 1 of Open Heart. [Teddy R., OC]
1. Chapter 1

**Lost and Found**

 **An Open Heart-Degrassi Fanfic**

 **Chapter 1: See You Again**

 _Ariel's POV_

 _Montreal, Canada_

 _Heartstone Academy_

I walked quickly up the steps of Heartstone Academy, determined not to be late on my very first day. After the events of the previous semester, my parents had transferred me to Heartstone, hoping it would help me deal with my loss in a more constructive way.

"You'll like it at Heartstone," my mother said as she drove me to school. "Most of the people here are friendly, and the education is top-notch. Besides, you don't need to be slumming it with public school kids. You're a Summers, and you need to start acting like it."

"Mom, just because you and Dad own a multimillion dollar company does _not_ mean I need to be a snob," I countered.

"Well, of course not. But these are our types of people, and as heir to the Summers fortune, you need to know how to mingle with them. Just try, okay? I know you miss Cam, and I know how much he meant to you. But you need to start to move on. Especially since you weren't even dating him. I know you loved him, and I know you said you didn't mind that he didn't care for you in the same way, but I saw what it did to you. As your mother, I want you to be happy. I know it won't happen overnight. However, there are plenty of nice guys here at Heartstone. I'm sure you'll find someone you fit with."

"I can't believe you're trying to set me up with someone. I didn't come to school to find a guy."

"I know, and school is your first priority, don't think it's not. But you will have to meet a guy one day, and you need to at least know what you're doing. We need good people to continue to promote the Summers image. So go on a few dates and see what happens, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, Mom, whatever you say."

"Good. Have a nice day!"

I sighed. It wasn't easy, starting over. But then, my life had never been easy.

 _Hey, Ri. Don't worry about what your mom says. She's just looking out for you._

I smiled.

Even after he died, Cam was still looking out for me.

Campbell Saunders and I had been best friends since he arrived at Degrassi. It had taken some time, especially since he was extremely awkward around girls, but one day I'd finally managed to get him to open up to me. He was an all-star hockey player, one of the best in the country, and he had been drafted by the NHL. Everyone loved him, girls, guys, you name it. He was one of the sweetest, kindest, most gentle-hearted guys I'd ever known. And now he was gone.

Maybe physically, but not spiritually.

He had committed suicide after dealing with months of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and tons of stress due to the pressures he was under. I had known about what he was dealing with, but I hadn't told anyone, fearing he would be angry with me and end our friendship.

 _ **If I'd told someone, maybe he'd still be alive. This is all my fault.**_

 __ _None of that, now, Ri. None of it was your fault. I didn't get help, and I should have. You are not responsible for my actions. Not at all. There is absolutely no reason to feel guilty. The burden was on me, not you. You were the best friend I ever had, and I'm glad I got the chance to know you. I love you._

 _ **Not the way I wanted, but then, you're not obligated to reciprocate my feelings.**_

 __ _I'm sorry. I just…I really liked Maya._

 _ **I know. You two were good together. And she made you happy.**_

 __ _She did. She really did. I'm glad the two of you are friends._

 _ **Yeah, M's sweet.**_

 __ _She is. And thank you for not judging her for her actions after I died._

 _ **I would never. Maya is just finding ways to deal with your death. They might not be the best ways, but if it's helping her, then there's nothing to worry about. And if she does something drastic, I'll be there for her. No judgement. Ever. I don't care what the rest of Degrassi says.**_

 __ _Thanks, Ri. Now get to class already._

 _ **What are you, my mother? Sheesh.**_

 __ _Ri…_

 _ **Okay, okay! I'm going!**_

 __I made it to class with ten minutes to spare.

The teacher smiled at me.

"Good morning. You must be Ariel Summers. I'm Mr. Jacobson, your history teacher. You can take a seat anywhere."

I nodded, and looked for an empty seat.

There was a seat on either side of a girl with long black hair, dark brown eyes, and a heart-shaped face.

"Can I sit here?" I inquired.

She looked up and smiled.

"Sure. First day?"

"Yeah, is it that obvious?"

"Kinda. I'm Rayna. Rayna Sherazi."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ariel Summers."

"Great. I'm saving this seat for a friend, but you can take the other one."

"Thanks."

Before I could say anything else, a voice interrupted us.

"Yo, Rayna, what's crack-a-lacking?"

I looked up, my heart stopping at the sight of the guy in front of me.

"Mr. Ralston, how nice of you to finally join us. Take a seat." Mr. Jacobson told the newcomer.

The guy sauntered over to Rayna and me.

I couldn't take my eyes off him.

"See something you like, sweetheart?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

He winked at me.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Um…okay."

Rayna chuckled. "Quit playing, Teddy. Ariel's cool."

I was barely paying attention. It was like my brain had completely shut down.

The personality was different, the eye color was definitely different (Teddy had one brown eye and one blue eye), but I would know that face anywhere.

Campbell Saunders had come back to me, and I wasn't letting him go ever again.

 _Teddy's POV_

As Rayna chattered to me a mile a minute, I studied Ariel.

She was pretty, with long red hair, piercing blue-green eyes, and an expressive face. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend Dylan Blake, so I was definitely in the market for a new love interest.

At first glance, Ariel seemed innocent, sweet, almost naïve. But as I gazed at her, I could see sorrow in her face. I wondered what had happened to make her so sad.

She continued to steal glances at me, as if she wasn't sure how to react.

I needed an excuse to talk to her.

"All right, everyone, here is your first assignment. I would like you to pair up in groups of two and research the causes and effects of World War I, how it shaped history then, and how it continues to shape history today. Pick a topic you find interesting, whether it be music, fashion, literature, whatever, and discuss how it changed throughout the course of the war. You have one month, so I expect it to be good. No cutting corners." Mr. Jacobson informed us.

Rayna signaled to me, but I shook my head.

"Sorry, Rayna, not this time. Ariel, would you like to work with me?"

Ariel looked at Rayna, as if apologizing.

To her credit, Rayna didn't seem upset.

"Go ahead, Ariel. I need to branch out anyway. See you guys later. Good luck. And try not to kill each other. Teddy can be a tool sometimes."

"Very funny, Ray Ray." I scoffed.

"Oh, you know I love you," Rayna replied, laughing.

When she was gone, I turned to Ariel.

"So, what topic do you want to pick?"

"Anything's fine. What did you have in mind?"

"I'm just going to be upfront with you. I'm not into this whole school thing."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because my parents expect it. It's either this or get a job, and I am _not_ getting a job."

"Why not?"

"I'm not one for following the rules."

"I can see that."

I smiled. Ariel was interesting.

"So, ideas?"

"I was thinking food."

"Hungry already?" I teased her.

"Ha ha. No, but _you_ seem like a bottomless pit."

"Who told you my secret?"

"Lucky guess."

I laughed.

"You're a fun one, aren't you?"

"Can't say I've heard that one before. But don't think you're going to pawn off all the

work on me."

"I wouldn't dream of it. You seem like you could rip me in two."

"Don't forget it."

At the teasing glint in her eye, I knew she was going to be a challenge.

And if there's one thing I enjoy, it's a good challenge.

Ariel gave me a soft smile.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, puzzled.

"I just…I haven't had this much fun talking with a guy since…"

"Since what?"

"Never mind."

I decided not to push.

"So, what made you transfer to Heartstone?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I needed a fresh start, that's all."

"Fresh start from what?"

Ariel crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes tightly.

"Ariel? Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes and turned the full force of her gaze on me.

The sheer amount of pain in her eyes nearly broke my heart.

"I'm fine, Teddy. I just…I don't want to talk about it. I _can't_ talk about it. Especially not with you."

"Why not with me?" I asked gently.

"It hurts too much. Seeing you…reminds me of what I lost. Who I lost."

Before I could reply, the bell rang.

Ariel got up to leave, but I quickly pulled her back down.

"Just give me a minute. Please."

Once everyone had left, I turned to Ariel.

"What happened?"

"It's too long of a story to go into right now, but here."

She took out her phone and scrolled through it.

Finally, she handed it to me.

"Look at that picture and tell me what you see."

I did as instructed, my eyes widening.

"This guy looks like me. How is that possible?"

"Maybe he's your long-lost twin."

"I don't have any siblings. Or at least, I don't think so."

"His name is Campbell Saunders, and he was my best friend."

I raised an eyebrow at Ariel.

"Was?"

"He committed suicide a few months ago."

I stared at Ariel in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine what that must feel like."

"It's…the worst feeling in the world. I feel like he took a part of me with him, a part I'll never get back. I miss him every day. It sounds stupid, but I don't know…I don't know how to _feel_ now that he's gone. It's like I'm just…empty."

I didn't know what to say. How do you comfort someone who has lost their whole world?

"I'm sorry to ask this, but were you two…"

"Involved?" Ariel laughed humorlessly. "No. I had the biggest crush on him. Everyone in school did. I loved him, but he chose another girl, and because I wanted him to be happy, I let him go. But I just wanted to be part of his life in any way that I could, so I settled for being his friend. I just wish…I wish he could have seen me the way he saw Maya. Maybe things would have worked out differently. I know how selfish that sounds."

"That's not selfish, Ariel. You cared about him, I can see that. And yes, maybe things would have been different, but you don't know that for sure."

"I still love him, even now. I don't think I'll ever stop. And I don't want to."

"I get it."

Tears rolled down Ariel's face.

I put my arms around her.

"It's okay. Let it out."

"I'm….I'm sorry," she sobbed.

I rubbed circles around her back gently.

"Don't apologize for having a heart, Ariel. I wish more people were like you."

When she had settled, I kissed the top of her forehead.

"You're going to be okay, Ariel. I promise. It might not seem like it right now, but things _will_ get better. You just have to be patient."

"Thanks."

"Of course."

"We should get to class."

"Yeah, we should."

Ariel smiled at me softly, and my heart fluttered.

I stared at her, wanting so badly to kiss her, but I couldn't build up the nerve.

Then she cupped my face in her hands and kissed me gently.

She was about to let go when I pulled her back to me, kissing her more deeply than I'd kissed any girl in my life before.

I felt like I had flown to the top of a mountain. I was drunk with happiness, I felt like I could do anything, be anyone I wanted to be, be a completely different person. And I would do it if it made Ariel happy.

I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I liked this feeling.

When we let go, we gazed at each other.

"Well, that was…that was something," I stammered.

God, I sounded like an idiot.

Ariel chuckled. "Cat got your tongue?"

I scoffed. "Of course not. I just…what is this, an interrogation?"

She laughed. The sound melted my heart.

"No."

"I bet you've never been kissed like that before, though."

"No. I've never had a boyfriend. But I have kissed someone kind of like that before."

"Who?"

"Cam. I was trying to keep him from being humiliated by the rest of the hockey team."

"He was a hockey player?"

"Yes. One of the best in the country. He was drafted by the NHL."

"Whoa. That is seriously impressive."

"Come on, I'll tell you the story on the way to class."

As we walked, she told me everything.

"So he came to my table and started flirting with me. He was so bad at it. It was adorable."

"What did he say?"

"Well, I asked him if he was lost, and he said 'yes, in your eyes'. I thought it was the cutest thing."

I liked this guy already.

"I noticed he kept looking back at the guys, as if seeking their approval. So I asked him if he was okay. I figured they'd sent him to me to make him look like a fool."

"They sound like real jerks. I wouldn't even have done that, and I don't have the best rep around here."

"They were terrible. Not all of them, though."

"Still."

"I know. Anyway, he looked super nervous, so I asked him if he wanted to mess with them. He said yes."

"And that's when you kissed him?"

"Well, not before he asked me if, and I quote, 'You want to get out of here? Go get some…sex?'"

I started laughing. "You're kidding!"

"No lie. Of course I told him I don't usually have sex with guys I barely know, but that since he was such a cutie, I wouldn't mind giving him a kiss."

"I bet the guys thought you were going to give him a peck on the cheek or something."

"That's what I wanted them to think. Man, were they shocked."

"I'm more interested in Cam. How did he react?"

"He was blushing red as a tomato, but he seemed happy. I think that's when he realized I wasn't out to get him."

"So that's how you became friends."

"Unconventional, I know, but it worked. Besides, how could anyone resist that face?"

"I know I can't."

Ariel mock-glared at me.

"I can see why Rayna warned me about you."

"Yes, I'm the devil-child."

"I don't think you're _that_ bad."

"I've done some things I'm not proud of."

"Haven't we all, though?"

"It's just…I have a reputation for a reason, Ariel. You need to be careful."

She turned to me.

"Would you ever hurt me?"

"What?"

"Would you ever hurt me?"

I waited before I answered.

I had just met this girl, but I knew I would never, ever want to hurt her. I'd rather hurt myself a million times over than ever cause her pain.

I drew her into a corner, took her hands in mine, and said, "Ariel, look into my eyes."

Her eyes met mine, and I continued, "I have no idea what is happening here, but I know I never want to hurt you, either accidentally or on purpose. Especially on purpose."

"I can see you really mean that. Thank you for your honesty."

We were almost at class, when she said, "I don't know if I can go to class right now. Not after everything that just happened."

"Are you trying to impress me?"

"Maybe," Ariel teased.

"I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry about it. Missing one class isn't going to kill me. Besides, how many classes have _you_ skipped, hotshot?"

She had me there.

"Okay, good point. But I've never skipped class on the first day. The second, yes."

Ariel giggled. "You're hilarious. Come on, live a little."

"You're telling _me_ to live a little. Wow, now I really have seen everything."

"Yes or no?"

"Yes. Let's go for a drive. I can show you around."

"I'd like that."

We walked out of school and went to my car.

" _This_ is your car?"

I shrugged. "It does the job."

We got in, and I turned to Ariel.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

I started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

Ariel laid her hand on the divider, and I held it in mine, giving her a soft smile.

Her eyes lit up, and the sight made me giddy.

 _ **I am so screwed.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Lost and Found**

 **Chapter 2: Ye Old Dating Game**

 _Four weeks later…_

 _Ariel`s POV_

"That went well," Teddy told me as we walked to our next class after history.

We had just given our presentation on how food changed throughout the course of World War I, and Mr. Jacobson had told us our work was "informative, engaging, and hilarious."

"You and I make a great team," Teddy continued.

"Yeah, we do."

"I still can't believe you never got in trouble with your parents that first day. Didn't they question why you came home from school half an hour late?"

"I told them I was helping out the computer teacher."

"And they bought it?"

"They trust me, so, yes."

"Nice."

We were silent for a while, then he said, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Would you like to go out with me? I know we haven't known each other very long, but…I really like you. The way I feel about you, I've never felt like this about anyone."

"How do I know you're not just feeding me a line?"

Teddy took my hand and placed it over his heart.

"Listen."

I felt his heart racing under my palm.

"Every time I look at you, I can't think straight," he whispered. "You manage to drive me crazy and keep me calm at the same time. I know, I sound insane. But that's how I feel."

I placed my hand on his cheek. "I feel the same way about you. I was just afraid to say anything because I didn't want you to reject me."

"Reject you? I could never do that."

"I also didn't want you to think I only liked you because of Cam."

"The thought never crossed my mind. Honestly. I was just happy to get to know you."

"I'm glad. There's just one thing, though. My parents are a little conservative, so they want to meet you before we do anything. Would you like to come to dinner at my house at six-thirty?"

"Yes, of course."

"Should I be this nervous?"

"Hey, hey." Teddy gave me a soft smile. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll be the perfect gentleman."

"They'll grill you."

"Ariel, listen to me. The only thing that matters to me is you. I know how I feel about you, and _nothing_ your parents can say or do to me will change that. I promise."

He took me in his arms and kissed me passionately.

"Ahem."

We broke apart quickly to see Mr. Cassini, the principal, staring at us.

"Sorry, sir," Teddy said sheepishly.

"Shouldn't you both be in class?"

"Yes, sir." I told him.

"Then get to it."

Once he was out of sight, I pulled Teddy against me and kissed him.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

"I'm not complaining."

We made it to class right before the door closed.

The morning flew by, and soon it was time for lunch.

"What do you want to do?" Teddy asked me.

"I just want to spend time with you. I know we should socialize, but considering tonight…"

"It's all right. Let's go."

Once we were in his car, Teddy said, "Ask me anything."

In my best impression of my father, I began, "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

Teddy smirked, then grew serious. "I truly care for her, Mr. Summers, and I want to make her happy."

"Really? And what about her honor?"

"I would never do anything to dishonor her, sir."

I sighed. "Okay, those are the two most important things he wants to know, so I think you'll be fine."

Teddy fidgeted. "Ariel, I…I don't think it'll be as easy as you make it sound."

"What do you mean?"

"There's things about me I haven't shared with you, and I don't want you to find out some other way."

"You can tell me anything. I won't judge you."

"Maybe, but you definitely won't see me the same way."

"Let me worry about that. Tell me."

"I'm a criminal, Ariel. I've broken into people's houses, I've been to jail…it's not pretty."

"Why did you go to jail?"

Teddy didn't look at me as he replied, "I assaulted a guy. My ex-girlfriend's boyfriend. I was jealous that she seemed to like him more than me, so I beat him so badly he landed in the hospital. He's fine now, but I went to jail for three months."

I was stunned.

"I'm not proud of what I did. I knew it was wrong, but I let my emotions get the best of me."

"Did you ever apologize to him?" I asked quietly.

Teddy nodded. "I did, and I apologized to my ex as well. I understand if you don't want to see me again. I won't blame you."

I was silent for a few minutes as I processed this new information.

Finally, I said, "I'm not leaving you, Teddy. But I am disappointed in you, and a little frightened. Very frightened, in fact."

"I never wanted you to feel that way. I'll do anything to make it up to you."

"I don't _want_ to be afraid of you. Promise me that no matter how jealous you get, you won't make the same mistake again. And if you hit me…"

"I won't, I swear. I'd hurt myself first."

Teddy gently ran his fingers through my hair.

"You make me want to be a better person, Ariel."

"No, Teddy. You should want to be a better person for yourself, not for me."

He sighed. "You're right. But I need your help. I can't do this alone."

"You won't be."

I hugged him gently.

"I'm here for you. Always."

"Thanks. It really means a lot."

"Anytime."

We talked about inconsequential matters until it was time to go back inside.

 _Later that evening…_

 _Six-thirty P.M._

The doorbell sounded just as I was coming down the stairs.

I opened the door to find Teddy standing there, looking extremely handsome in a suit.

I was speechless.

Teddy looked equally at a loss for words.

My mother came to stand behind me.

"Good evening. You must be Teddy Ralston."

He smiled. "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Summers."

As she let him inside, my mother glanced at me.

I shrugged.

"We'll discuss this later," she whispered to me.

My father was standing at the table.

When he saw Teddy, he stiffened.

He gave my mother a knowing look, then turned to me, a question in his eyes.

I shook my head. After all, it wasn't like I'd even known that there was someone out there who looked almost exactly like Cam.

My father nodded, and his face smoothed into a smile as he turned back to Teddy.

"So this is the young man who wants to date my daughter."

Teddy nodded. "I would be honored to have your blessing, sir. Ariel is very precious to me."

My father smiled.

"You sound smitten."

"I am, Mr. Summers."

"Well, then, let's get to know each other, shall we? Julie, sweetheart, would you bless the table, please?"

"Of course. Dear God, thank You for providing us with Your many blessings on this special night. I pray that this food will be nourishing to our bodies, and let whatever is said and done tonight be for Your glory and in Your will. Amen."

"Amen," we said in unison.

As we ate, my father watched the interaction between Teddy and me.

We would steal glances at each other every so often, trying and failing to hide our smiles.

I could tell my parents were probably very concerned with this new turn of events. They had known Cam pretty well, and they knew my feelings towards him. To have someone who looked so similar to him in their house, someone who seemed so taken with me, made them question whether I was trying to compensate for my loss. I couldn't blame them.

I still loved Cam, I always would, but I was growing very fond of Teddy. In just a matter of weeks, he had brought back light and laughter into my life. Even though he was a criminal, his past didn't matter to me. It was the present and the future I cared about, and I wanted him in mine, if that's what he wanted as well.

Finally, my father broke the silence.

"So, Teddy, tell me about yourself."

Teddy asked carefully, "What would you like to know, sir?"

"How is school going, for instance?"

Teddy exhaled sharply before replying, "Honestly, sir, I scrape by. I know that's probably not the answer you were expecting, but…"

"Don't worry about my expectations right now. I just want the truth, and I want what is best for my daughter. I know it's pretty early, but do you have any idea what you would like to do with your life?"

"I was thinking of becoming a counselor for at-risk youth."

"What made you decide that?"

"I…I haven't always made the best decisions, and I don't want other people to end up making the mistakes that I have."

My father looked at Teddy intently.

To his credit, Teddy didn't flinch.

Finally, my father said, "It's good that you recognize that so early in your life. I don't need to know what you've done, but I'm glad that you seem to be taking responsibility for your actions."

"I am, sir. However, there is something I think you should know."

"Yes?"

"A couple of months ago, I assaulted my ex-girlfriend's boyfriend. I was stupid and jealous and there is no excuse for what I did. I ended up in jail for three months. But I sincerely regret what I did. I understand if this changes your opinion of me, and I understand if you don't want me around Ariel. I won't contest your decision."

My parents were silent, then my mother spoke up.

"We're not here to judge you, Teddy. We just want to make sure you won't harm our daughter."

"Never. I'd rather cut myself into a million pieces than ever cause her pain."

My father nodded slowly.

"I can see you truly mean that. You have my permission to date Ariel. But there is something we need to discuss. Let's go into the living room."

We cleared the table and went to the living room to talk.

My father said, "Julie, since this is your area of expertise, I think you should take the floor."

My mother smiled. "Thanks, Nick."

She turned to Teddy and me.

"Teddy, I don't know if Ariel told you this, but a few months ago, her best friend committed suicide. His name was Campbell Saunders."

Teddy nodded. "Yes, Ariel told me everything. I know we look very similar."

My mother looked at me. "I hate to ask this, sweetie, but…"

"Mom, I understand your concern, but I like Teddy for who he is. Not because he looks like Cam. It was never about that."

"Good. There's more, though. Teddy, I know you were wondering if you and Cam are twins, and the answer is yes."

Teddy and I stared at each other.

"How is that possible?" he asked slowly.

"Your parents separated, right? Your father remarried?"

"Yes. So are you saying, my mom had Cam and my dad had me? Why did they do that? Why couldn't they keep us together?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask your father. But the fact of the matter is, Cam Saunders was your twin. I'm so sorry."

Teddy nodded.

I squeezed his hand gently.

I couldn't even imagine what he was going through right now.

My father stood, motioning to Mom.

"Let's give them some privacy."

Once they had left, Teddy broke down.

"So that's it? I'll never get to know him because my parents were selfish enough to keep us apart! It doesn't matter what they were going through, they should have let us grow up together!"

"Maybe they couldn't handle the financial responsibility. From what Cam told me, he had other siblings."

Teddy glared at me.

"So that gives them the right to separate us? Whose side are you on?!"

 _ **Cam, please, if you're nearby, please help.**_

 __I could feel the brush of Cam's fingers against my hand.

 _I'm right here, Ariel. Let me handle this._

I saw Cam go over to Teddy and take his hand.

"What is that? What's going on?" Teddy asked me.

I shook my head. I wanted him to see for himself.

Cam placed his hand over Teddy's heart and pushed a sliver of light through him.

I could see the light travel through Teddy's body.

His eyes began to adjust to his new surroundings.

When he saw Cam, he gasped.

"You…you're Cam. You're my twin."

Cam smiled.

 _Yes. It's great to finally meet you, Teddy. I wish I could hug you, but I don't have a physical body. But at least you can see me now. Like Ariel always could._

"What? Ariel, what is he talking about?"

I sighed. "I have Second Sight, Teddy. I can see all past, present, and future events. And spirits."

"Huh?"

"My mother has the gift as well. I inherited it from her."

"I'm really confused."

"Look, when Cam died, his spirit was restless, so he started following people around. Like Maya and me. But I'd never told him that I had the Sight, so when I started seeing him, he knew something was up. He begged me to talk to Maya, but I refused because I was still so angry with him."

"So this whole time, you could see him? Why did you never tell me?"

"Because I knew you would think I was crazy."

"Not if you had explained it."

He turned to his brother.

"Do you know why we were separated?"

 _Because Dad was cheating on Mom, and he used you as his bargaining chip._

"What?!"

 _He didn't want to let you go, so Mom took me and our other siblings to Kapuskasing and left you with him._

"How could she do that? Didn't she want me too?"

 _Of course she did. She was forever talking about going back for you, but when I started hockey, things changed._

"Oh, I see. You were the golden child and I was the screw-up."

 _No! Never think that! It's just…she had all her hopes pinned on me being this star. And then I started becoming depressed, but she never knew. When she sent me to Degrassi, she hoped I would be happier._

"But you weren't, were you?"

 _I had moments, but they were few and far between._

"Mind if I ask what caused your depression?"

 _It was just a lot of pressure to be the best all the time. I couldn't handle it._

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that alone."

Cam shrugged. _It's not your fault. At least now I have you back._

"But it's not the same."

Cam touched Teddy's hand, and a spark flew between them, enveloping Cam in light.

A minute later, he was standing before us, smiling broadly.

He reached out and touched my face.

"Hey, Ri. Miss me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Lost and Found**

 **Chapter 3: Twin Connection**

 _Ariel's POV_

I stared in disbelief at Cam.

"You're really here. I'm not dreaming."

He smiled.

"No, you're not."

I hugged him tightly.

"I missed you so much!"

"Me too, Ri. Me too."

He turned to his brother, still holding me.

"So, Teddy, do I get a hug or what?"

Teddy chuckled.

"Come here, little bro!"

"I'm actually two minutes older than you."

"Burn!" I exclaimed.

They laughed. The sound was music to my ears.

To have Cam back, to have both of them here, it was like a miracle.

"I can't stay in this form for long, but I just wanted to tell you guys how much I love you."

"We love you too, Cam," I told him.

"I know."

His warm brown eyes fell on me.

"It's so good to see you again, Ri. I'm so sorry for putting you through so much pain. Can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. You weren't in the right frame of mind, and I should have talked to you about it. I should have been there for you."

"I don't want you to blame yourself. Ever. It was my decision, and it was the worst decision I'd ever made. I lost you, I lost Maya, I lost the chance to know Teddy."

"So you knew…" Teddy began.

"That you were my twin? Yes. I'm so sorry I didn't reach out to you. I'm the worst."

Teddy shook his head quickly. "No, you're not. You had a disease. You needed to take care of yourself. I wouldn't have expected you to get in touch with me if you have depression."

"I just…maybe if we'd gotten the chance to connect, maybe you could have helped me."

"Would you have been honest with me?"

Cam gave his brother an anguished look.

I gently disengaged myself from Cam.

"I think I'll give you two some privacy."

"No, don't leave," Cam murmured.

Teddy stepped away from his brother, taking his hand and leading him to the couch.

I sat next to Cam, wondering what was going through Teddy's mind. It couldn't have been easy for him to hear any of this.

Cam looked down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry."

Teddy placed a finger under Cam's chin, lifting his head up.

As they stared into each other's eyes, I could _feel_ the energy in the room rising.

Teddy broke the silence.

"Cam, I know we just met, but I want you to know that I love you. You're my brother, and I want you to be in my life forever, whether you're physically here or not."

"You're not mad?"

His twin's eyes softened.

"Why would I be mad? You're here, aren't you?"

"But…"

"Look, you made the choice you thought was best at the time. If you could go back…"

"I would have talked more. I would have gotten help. And I definitely would have tried to find you."

"That's all that matters."

They smiled at each other, and Teddy trailed his finger over Cam's face.

"I never thought I'd get the chance to know you. When I heard you died…even before I knew…it broke me. When Ariel told me, I just…I never told her this, but I felt as lost as she must have. I didn't even know you, but I felt this… _ache_ , like there was this void inside me I couldn't fill."

I stared at Teddy in amazement.

"Why did you never tell me?" I asked him quietly.

"For the same reason you never told me you had the Sight. I didn't know Cam, but I felt this connection to him. Would you have believed me?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Exactly."

Teddy's finger stilled on Cam's cheek.

Cam smiled softly, and I saw Teddy's eyes light up.

"Don't take this the wrong way, bro, but I can see why everyone loves you."

"Why?"

Teddy smirked.

"You're adorable. Isn't he, Ariel?"

Cam rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a puppy."

Teddy and I looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Yes. Yes, you are," we said in unison.

"You two are hilarious."

"Glad you think so," Teddy told him.

Teddy and I shared a conspiratorial look, then I grabbed Cam and started tickling him.

"Stop…stop! Teddy, get her off me!"

"Not a chance."

Teddy's hands danced over Cam's ribs.

"This is payback."

"For what?!" Cam exclaimed.

"Everything!"

"Guys! Seriously, stop!"

"Make us!" I yelled.

"Fine, I will!"

Cam reached up and kissed me.

I was so shocked I fell off the couch.

"Ouch! What the heck was that?"

"You told me to make you stop, so I did."

I got up, rubbing my side ruefully, then looked at Teddy.

I was sure he was going to be beyond pissed.

He looked between the two of us, then turned to Cam.

"Why did you do that?"

"Man, I'm really sorry, Teddy. I shouldn't have…please don't kill me."

Teddy looked surprised.

"I'm not going to kill you. Why would you think that?"

"I just kissed your girlfriend in front of you!"

"I know. I saw."

"So..."

"Just answer my question. Why did you kiss her?"

"To make her stop."

Teddy shook his head. "That's not the reason."

"What?"

"You're attracted to her, aren't you? You can answer honestly, I'm not upset."

"I don't think…"

"Cam, relax. Just be honest with me."

Cam sighed.

"Yes."

"I knew it."

"I'm gonna go…" I said, edging away from the two of them.

Teddy touched my arm.

"Not yet, Ariel."

Just the feeling of his hand on my arm was enough to send me into a tailspin.

I shook my head, trying to clear it.

Cam gave me a knowing look.

I glared at him. This was all just too much.

It was one thing for me to be attracted to Cam, but it was a different story for him to be attracted to me. And now that I was dating Teddy…well, you can see why I was frustrated.

It almost seemed like Teddy was _encouraging_ Cam.

 _ **Why? He should be furious. I'm his girlfriend. Cam is his brother. Neither one of us should be attracted to the other. I like Teddy, I really do. This should not be happening. Wait, is Teddy encouraging this because he doesn't like me that way? Then why did he ask me out? Why did he come here tonight? Maybe he's exactly like everyone says, and I'm going to get my heart broken. I knew it. Teddy Ralston played me, and I fell for it.**_

 __In a matter of seconds, I had gone from ecstatic to angry, and I couldn't deal with the implications.

I shook my arm from Teddy's grip.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" I snapped at him.

His eyes widened.

"Ariel, what's wrong?"

"Ri…"

"No! _No._ You two are the sickest people I have ever met in my _LIFE_! I can't believe you played me like that!"

"Ri, calm down. It's okay."

"No, it is _not_ okay, Cam! How could you be attracted to me? And how could _you_ be encouraging it?" I pointed my finger at Teddy.

"Ariel, please…"

"I thought you cared about me! I thought you _liked_ me. Now I see the only person you care about is yourself."

"That's not true!"

"Yes, it is! Why would you encourage Cam to have feelings for me?! What kind of sick person does that? He's your _brother_ , Teddy! Your twin! He _can't_ have feelings for me. And I can't have feelings for him. I shouldn't, and he shouldn't, and you shouldn't act like this is a normal thing! Why would you do this? Don't you like me at all?"

"I'm doing this because I LOVE you!"

"You're a twisted, manipulative, sick _bastard_ , and I can't believe I ever had feelings for you. You're a player, and you'll always _be_ a player. Goodbye, Teddy Ralston. I _never_ want to see you again. In this life or the next."

I spun on my heel, heading for the door.

Suddenly, Cam tackled me.

"Stop it, Ri. Don't do something you'll regret."

"I already have. My first mistake was being friends with you." I replied icily.

Cam's eyes welled with tears.

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, quit it with the crocodile tears, Campbell. You might have everyone else fooled, but not me. Now get off me!"

"No."

"Fine, then you leave me no choice."

Teddy's voice cracked through the air like a whip.

"Ariel, _stop_. Now. Cam, let her go."

Cam released me.

The minute I got up, Teddy swung me around, pinning me to the wall.

"Teddy, what are you doing?! Let go!"

His eyes darkened in anger.

"No. You want to take your anger out on someone? Take it out on me. Cam, lock the door."

Once the door was locked, Teddy turned back to me, his fingers digging into my arms.

For the first time, I could see why people were scared of Teddy Ralston.

I hoped he wouldn't hurt me, that he'd remember his promise.

His eyes, however, told a different story.

In a low growl, he said, "I'm not going to hurt you, Ariel. I made a promise, and I'll keep it. But if you hurt Cam, you'll regret it. I would never lay a finger on you, but trust me, you'll regret it."

I nodded.

"The ball's in your court now, Ariel. Can I let go or are you going to hurt my brother?"

"No, I won't. I'm sorry, Cam. I mean it."

Cam nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good."

Teddy let go of me, but said, "Don't move. Now, why are you so angry with us?"

"I just don't understand why you would encourage your twin to have feelings for me when you and I _just got permission to date_."

Teddy sighed.

"Let me explain."

"Please."

"When you told me about Cam, how much you cared about him, I could see that you were a very genuine person. You were willing to look past the fact that he was a hockey star and like him for who he was. That's one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place. Everyone else probably only liked him for his status, but you liked him for the person he was. That was very special."

Cam interjected. "It was. Even Maya…at times I wondered whether she _really_ cared for me. She was always asking questions about my hockey career, even when I bluntly told her that there were a million other things we could talk about. I know she cared about me, and I know she loved me, but I always felt like I was never good enough for her. Now that I've spent some time on the other side, I've also come to realize that she was very insecure about herself and her body, and she wanted me to make her feel wanted and special. And I tried, I really did, but I couldn't always give her what she wanted. Partly because I had absolutely no prior experience, and partly because I was depressed."

"That's rough," Teddy sympathized.

"I'm so sorry, Cam." I told him, my heart aching for him.

Cam shrugged. "It's not your fault, Ri. At least I had you."

For months, I had thought the exact same things about Maya, but I knew I could never tell Cam. It would hurt him too much. When Maya had kissed Zig and told me about it, after she and Cam had temporarily broken up, I'd kept her secret to myself, mainly because I believed it didn't matter what she had done while she was broken up with Cam. Especially since she had yelled at Zig that she loved Cam.

Cam looked at me, and knew exactly what was going through my mind.

But the thought nagged at me, _**The very fact that Maya kissed Zig, even though she and Cam were over, means that regardless of what she said to the contrary, she was still attracted to Zig. Like she had been from the moment she met him.**_

 __I hadn't been there for everything, but my Sight had shown me that Maya had always been and would always be attracted to Zig, no matter how many guys she dated. She'd met Zig before Cam, and I'd always believed that the real reason she dated Cam was because Tori had encouraged her. Not that I believed Maya hadn't been totally head-over-heels for Cam, because she had been, but that attraction to Zig was still there. Even Katie, Maya's older sister, had preferred Zig to Cam. The irony was not lost on me.

Cam was one of the sweetest, kindest guys out there, a diamond, a rare gem among ordinary stones. Zig was a cheater, a player, and now a rebel. Though I couldn't really blame him for the last one. None of Cam's friends (not that Zig was a friend, they were more like mortal enemies) had taken his death well. Maya had gone off the rails, Tori had moved away, I had never really moved on from Cam until I met Teddy, and even now, it was like my heart still couldn't let go; Dallas, the captain of the hockey team, and who had cared for Cam like an older brother, had turned to drinking to forget his problems (which were made worse when Adam Torres (Katie's ex-boyfriend's brother) died), and Zig had turned to selling pot in his mother's convenience store and ended up running with a gang. The only one of Cam's friends who didn't seem to care one bit that Cam was gone was Tristan.

Tristan Milligan was the gay younger brother of Owen Milligan, one of Cam's former teammates. Owen was now in college, but two years ago, he'd dated Anya McPherson, one of the most popular girls at Degrassi. She'd gone off to the army and subsequently broke up with him a few months later. While they were together though, they'd gotten a lot of flak because Owen had a reputation as being a playboy and a douchebag. Not that the rumors were completely false. But unlike the rest of the school, I had chosen not to listen, wanting to judge for myself. My Sight showed me that Owen, like Dallas, wasn't a bad person (Dallas had a similar reputation), he was just a teenage guy doing what teenage guys like to do. Owen had a soft side that he only showed a few people: his brother Tristan, Anya, Cam, and me. Not that Owen and I ever dated or anything, but we had spent a lot of time together since I was close to Cam.

Anyway, back to Tristan. Oh, sure, he had cried with Tori when the news came that Cam had committed suicide, but after some time had passed, it was like it never happened. Now I'm not saying that he should have curled up in a corner and cried for the rest of his life, but he could have at least had a little more decorum when talking to Maya about her love life. It seemed like he was always jealous of her, telling her, 'you had all these guys fawning over you last year and I don't have anyone'. Uh, hello? The only guys who had been fawning over Maya were Cam, Zig, and a new guy named Miles Hollingsworth, whose father was running for mayor of Toronto. Maya had met Miles during the summer Paris trip. Cam had loved Maya, but he had died, Zig was infatuated with Maya, but he'd cheated on Tori when he'd kissed Maya (and even when Maya and Cam had gotten back together, he _still_ couldn't leave Maya alone), and Miles was too much like Cam in terms of his depression, although Miles was depressed for a different reason. It just seemed like Tristan didn't really care that Cam had died, the only thing he cared about was finding someone to love. I thought it was really upsetting, considering their friendship. The thought occurred to me that maybe Tristan felt jilted about Cam because he had had a crush on him from the moment they met, and even after Owen had told Tristan that Cam wasn't gay, Tristan still basically forced himself into Cam's life by impersonating Maya online just so he could talk to him. Cam had been really upset at the time, but had gotten over it.

And then there had been Zig. Zig and Cam had never really seen eye to eye, especially when it came to Maya. But after Zig had told Cam to get out of Maya's life forever, and Cam had gone and done just that, Zig began to feel unbearably guilty. He held himself responsible for Cam's actions. And it hadn't helped that I had basically shut him down when he had tried to apologize to me. Though now I guess with this new turn of developments, I could forgive Zig. After all, it's not like he had known that Cam was depressed.

Sorry for the long tangent. Back to the story.

I nodded to Cam. "You did have me. And no matter what, you will _always_ have me."

"That goes double for me, bro," Teddy reassured him.

Cam smiled.

"It's good to have you both in my corner. Anyway, can we please resolve this? I don't want us to be fighting, especially when I don't have much time left to stay here."

"Let's go back to the couch and talk," Teddy said.

When we were all seated, Teddy turned to me.

"Look, Ariel, the reason I was encouraging Cam to act on his attraction for you was because I knew how heartbroken you were when you first got here. You were always talking about what you could have or should have done, and it hurt to watch. And even though I was developing feelings for you, and I thought you were developing feelings for me, I also realized you would never fully get over Cam. And it would be selfish of me to ask you to."

"Thanks. That means so much," I replied.

I looked at Cam.

"So you're attracted to me. What about Maya?"

"I love her, I always have and I always will, but I was never into her that way."

"Why me? Is it because I kissed you?"

Cam smiled. "Partly. I don't know. All this is kind of new to me. Before Maya, I never had a girlfriend. I never knew if what I was doing was right, especially since the guys were so…vocal and open about their…um…"

He trailed off, blushing furiously.

Teddy saved him.

"Exploits?"

Cam nodded gratefully. "Exactly. I always felt out of place with them. Dallas…he said I should be dating a different girl every weekend."

"With that kind of logic, it's no wonder those guys never had stable girlfriends. Although I know Dallas has a crush on Alli," I mused.

"Yeah, well, I didn't agree with him. What exactly is wrong with stability?"

"Nothing. A girl will respect you far more when she knows she's your one and only."

"I know. Even when I was dating Dylan…she was the only girl for me. No one else. And then we broke up and went our separate ways," Teddy told us.

"See? There you have it," I told Cam.

"Now I feel bad doing this when we just…"

"Hey, it's okay," I said, putting my arm around him. "Look, I love you, and I always will. And you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Ariel's right. It isn't your fault you weren't attracted to Maya, and it's not your fault that you had depression," Teddy told his twin.

"But I feel like I'm cheating on her."

"Technically, you're dead. As far as she knows, you'll never come back. Wouldn't you rather know what it feels like now?"

"Ideally, you would want to be with someone you like and are attracted to." I informed Cam.

"Right. Like Ariel and me. I love her and I'm attracted to her," Teddy said.

Cam and I stared at him.

"What?"

"That's the second time tonight you've said you love me," I whispered in awe.

"I was hoping you hadn't heard me the first time."

"Kind of hard to miss when you're _yelling_ at me."

Teddy chuckled.

"Very true. Well, are you two going to kiss again or not?"

"I think we'd both prefer it if you weren't around. It would make it a little awkward."

"Touché."

Once he was gone, Cam pulled me closer.

"Not wasting any time, are we?"

"Not a second," he murmured.

His eyes darkened with desire as he kissed me, gently at first, then more passionately.

Kissing Cam was so much different from kissing Teddy. Kissing Teddy made me feel wild, rebellious, like there was a fire in me I couldn't fully quench. Kissing Cam made me feel wanted, loved, _adored_. I had no doubt that if I'd dated Cam, we would have been _very_ happy together. Not that I wasn't happy with Teddy. He made me feel alive, like anything was possible. Teddy and Cam seemed to balance each other out: where Teddy was confident and tough, Cam was shy and a little insecure. It was a beautiful thing.

Cam leaned down on the couch as he pulled me on top of him.

"Do you know how many times I've thought about this?" he asked between kisses.

"Hopefully not while you were with Maya."

"Of course not. But at night, I couldn't help but wonder…"

"I thought about this a lot too. But I left you guys alone."

"Unlike some people we know."

"Let's not spoil the moment."

"Agreed."

He continued to kiss me, his hands moving to circle my waist.

Even though this was actually happening, I still couldn't believe it.

The guy I had cared for and had always wanted to protect was kissing me like he never wanted to let me go.

My heart felt like it was finally whole, but in a flash of insight, I realized something.

I had confused attraction with love.

My heart had never, and would never, belong to Campbell Saunders.

It belonged to Teddy Ralston, and it always would.

 _ **I'm in trouble.**_

 __Cam knew something was wrong, because he stopped and looked at me.

"You figured it out, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"I know. Now go find him and tell him before you lose your nerve."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? You had to kiss me to realize your true feelings, and you did, so what is there to be sorry about?"

"You're absolutely amazing, you know that?"

I leaned in to give him one last kiss, my lips lingering on his.

He gently pushed me away.

"Go, Ri. Go be with the one you love."

He started to de-materialize.

"Tell Teddy I'll see him tonight."

"I will," I said, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Once Cam was back in his spirit form, I went to find Teddy.

He was sitting outside on the porch.

"So, did you two have fun?"

I nodded.

"I did."

 _So did I. But Ri has to tell you something._

Teddy waited expectantly.

I closed my eyes, willing myself not to chicken out now.

Then my eyes flashed open, and I said, "I'minlovewithyou."

"What?"

I looked into Teddy's eyes and repeated, "I'm in love with you."

He got up and took me in his arms.

"I'm in love with you too, Ariel. I know we just met, but every day I'm with you, I feel lucky to be alive. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I _don't_ want to imagine a world without you in it. I need you. And I hope you feel the same way."

"I do."

I gazed into his eyes, my heart pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked shyly.

"Why would you…"

"Because I want to do this right. All of it. I want to take you out on dates, and make you laugh, and give you everything your heart desires. And I want you to know that no matter what, I will never force myself on you. Ever. No matter what I want. You come first. Always."

I was speechless.

"So, can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Then Teddy Ralston kissed me, a kiss born of gentleness and passion, of earth and fire, a kiss to last a lifetime.

I didn't know what I was going to do with the rest of my life, but I knew one thing for sure: I wanted Teddy Ralston in it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Lost and Found**

 **Chapter 4: Party Crashers (Part 1)**

 _Two months later…_

 _Ariel's POV_

"Go left! No, your other left!"

"I _am_ going left!"

"This is _so_ going on the internet!"

"Rayna, don't you dare! Dylan, stop her!"

"What do you think I've been doing for the past ten minutes?!"

"Don't worry, dude, I got it. Rayna, give me the phone." Wes interjected.

"Nuh uh."

"Rayna…"

"Pleeeeaase?"

"No. The phone."

Rayna danced away from Wes.

"Catch me if you can."

"I don't believe this," Teddy muttered to me.

"Hah! Beat you!" I exclaimed.

"What?"

He grabbed me around my waist, tickling me.

"I think some Tickle Torture is in order."

"No...no…fine, you win, okay?"

"Yes, I do," Teddy smiled, kissing me.

"Ugh, can you guys stop kissing every five minutes?"

"Don't you have your own boyfriend to make out with, Mikayla?" I asked her.

"Yeah, where is Jared?"

"He's on his way. Got held up at the hospital. London is having trouble with Donny again." Mikayla replied.

"I thought he was told never to go back to Open Heart."

"You know Donny. Can't follow orders."

"Don't let Seth hear you say that."

"Seth isn't here."

"True."

I turned to Teddy.

"Rematch?"

"You know it."

"I think I'll go make some popcorn. This is better than watching TV." Mikayla said.

She went over to Rayna.

"You. With me. Now."

"Ooh…"

"Oh God. Can someone sedate her?"

"I got her."

Wes slung his arm around Rayna's shoulder.

"Hey, why don't I tell you a story?"

Rayna giggled.

"If you want."

Once she, Mikayla, and Wes were in the kitchen, Dylan plopped on the couch.

"Finally."

"Yeah, I thought she was going to fly to the ceiling or something." Teddy said.

"I'll make sure to leave the cabinet _closed_ next time," I sighed.

"Yeah, we do _not_ need a repeat of last time."

It was Friday night, and Teddy and I were hanging out with our friends. Well, his friends. Sort of.

After Teddy had been released from jail, he had gone to apologize to Wes and Dylan for what he'd done. They hadn't believed him at first, but he didn't give up. They'd finally come to a truce and were starting a tentative friendship. He'd told them about me, and they had wanted to meet me, so he'd introduced us. Now Dylan and I were becoming fast friends.

It felt pretty awkward at first, but Dylan told me she was really happy for Teddy.

"Jail really seemed to change him. I'm glad he has you. I've never seen him like this."

"You're not jealous?"

"Look, Teddy and I were over for a while before I met Wes. We just weren't going to work out. But I don't hate him. He was there for me when I needed him, and I'm grateful. And you make him happy."

"He makes me happy too."

I'd told her about Cam, not the part where I could see him or anything, just about our friendship and that he was Teddy's twin. She seemed to take it well, and said if I ever needed to talk or anything, she was always available. I'd also met Mikayla, and we hit it off almost immediately. She was one of the coolest people I knew.

It was weird, though. Mikayla and Wes looked exactly like Imogen Moreno and Jake Martin, respectively, two students I knew at Degrassi. Jake had graduated, but Imogen was still there. I was friends with most of the kids at Degrassi since my two older sisters had attended Degrassi at one point. My oldest sister, Naomi, had been the Class of 2007, and my second oldest sister, Clarissa, had been the Class of 2011. I'm the Class of 2015.

"So, guys, any plans for the weekend?" Dylan asked us.

"No, not really," Teddy replied.

My phone buzzed.

It was Maya.

"Sorry, guys, I have to take this. I'll be back." I told them.

I headed upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me.

"Hey, M, what's up?"

"Hey, I've been calling you on Skype for the past ten minutes. If this is a bad time…"

I wanted to hit myself in the head.

I'd completely forgotten I'd planned a Skype sesh with Maya.

"I'm _so_ sorry, M. Some friends came over kind of last minute."

"It's okay, Ri."

I quickly texted Teddy.

 _Sorry, T. I forgot I promised Maya I was going to Skype with her._

 _ **No problem, Ariel. I'll tell the guys.**_

 __I found my laptop and logged on to Skype.

A few minutes later, Maya's face popped up on my screen.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. What have you been up to?"

"Not much. Oh, I have something to tell you. Miles is planning a secret party and he's inviting everyone from Degrassi."

"I know. I saw the invite."

"Are you gonna come?"

"I'm not sure."

"I haven't seen you in ages, Ri. Besides, I want to meet that secret boyfriend of yours."

I froze.

"You know that's not a good idea."

"You haven't actually given me a reason why, Ri. Come on, what are you hiding? Is he ugly?"

"No, of course not."

"Is he a criminal or something?"

"Nope. Can you just drop it?"

"No. You've seen a pic of Miles, why can't you return the favor?"

"M, seriously, can you forget about it?"

"Ri, you know I'm not going to judge you. Talk to me. Please. I can handle it."

 _Tell her, Ri. I think she's finally moved on now._

 _ **Fine. You'll take responsibility for how she feels about it?**_

 __ _Yes. Tell her._

"Look, Maya, the reason I didn't tell you about Teddy is because, well, he's Cam's twin."

Maya stared at me. The silence seemed to drag on endlessly.

"M, please say something. Anything."

"Um, are you sure? Did you do a DNA test, or ancestry, or something?"

"No, not exactly, but the resemblance is there."

"Did you tell him about Cam?"

"Yes. He didn't take it well, but we worked through it."

"And the two of you are…together?"

"Yes. Please don't be upset."

"Did you start dating before or after you told him about Cam?"

"After. It was kind of how we met."

Maya sighed.

"Can I see his picture?"

"Are you sure you can…"

"Quit stalling, Ariel."

I found a picture of Teddy on my phone and sent it to her.

"You were right. That is…it's like…"

 _ **What have I done?**_

 __ _Relax, Ri. Give her a minute._

She put the phone down, then looked up at me, her expression unreadable.

"So it's true. Teddy and Cam are twins."

"Yes."

"Are you dating Teddy because you couldn't have Cam? Is that it?"

"What? No. I would never…how could you think that?"

"Because it's a really _fucked up_ thing to do, Ri."

I had _never_ heard Maya curse in her life. It was terrifying.

"M, I swear, I would never do anything like that. I love Teddy for _who he is_."

How many times would I have to say that?

"And I'm supposed to just believe you?"

"I'm not lying."

"Ri, look me in the eyes and tell me…tell me _you didn't date Teddy Ralston because you were jealous of me_."

"I didn't! I'll admit I was attracted to him, but…"

Instantly I knew I had said the wrong thing.

"You were _what_?"

"I didn't mean because of Cam. It could have been any other guy!"

"But it _wasn't_ any other guy! It was him! A guy who happens to look _EXACTLY_ like Campbell Saunders! And I _know_ you had feelings for Cam!"

"So did every other girl in school!"

"Don't try to justify your actions to me, Ri. I know what you felt for Cam. I'm not stupid."

"We were friends!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that!"

"I will! The same way I'll keep telling myself that you _never_ loved Cam! You were always attracted to Zig, which is why you didn't stop him when he tried to kiss you at the pageant!"

"That is _not_ true!"

"Really, because if you _had_ loved Cam, you would have tried to help him instead of worrying about what other people thought of you! Newsflash, Maya Matlin, if you need a _guy_ to tell you that you're pretty 24/7, then you have some serious issues."

"At least I don't go around pretending that I'm so sweet and innocent, when in reality I'm just a _bitch_!"

"Wow, you really are a piece of work, aren't you, M? Cam would have been better off with anyone except you."

"Yeah, and how do you figure that?" Maya retorted.

"He'd still be _alive_." I replied icily.

Maya let out a scream of frustration.

"Temper, temper. Or do you want all of Toronto to hear you?"

"I'm _so_ glad you switched schools, Ariel. You and I are done!"

The screen went black and I threw my laptop across the room.

I got up, destroying everything in my way.

 _Ri! Ri, calm down!_

 _ **Don't tell me to calm down! Why don't you go comfort your little girlfriend and LEAVE ME ALONE!**_

 __The next thing I knew, a pair of arms locked around my waist.

"Ariel! Ariel, stop! Don't do this! It's not worth it!"

I wrestled out of Teddy's grip.

"You don't get it! You never will!"

"What are you talking about?"

I began to pace frantically.

Teddy stopped me, his eyes filled with concern.

"Talk to me, Ariel. You know you can tell me anything. I love you."

"That's the problem!"

"What?"

"Everyone seems to think you and I shouldn't be in love, that it's too soon. Or they think that I'm only with you because of Cam. It's driving me insane!"

Teddy pulled me to him gently.

"It's okay, Ariel. It's okay."

"I love you. I do. And it's _not_ because of Cam. How many times am I going to have to say that before people believe me?"

"I believe you. But can you be honest with me about something?"

"Yes."

"Is there…is there even a hint of truth to what Maya said? Were you attracted to me because of Cam?"

"I…I don't know."

"That wasn't a no."

I glared at him.

"Sorry."

I sighed.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry. I get it if you don't want to see me again. Maya's right. What I did was messed up."

"So it _is_ true."

I tried to keep the tears from flowing, but I couldn't help it.

"I…I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?"

"Any of this. I'm so tired."

Teddy rubbed circles on my back gently.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ariel. And I'm not upset. It doesn't matter how we started, all that matters is right now."

"What about Maya? I don't want to lose her friendship."

"Look, I think the biggest thing the two of you have in common is that you haven't actually dealt with Cam's death."

 _Teddy's right. You're still angry, Ri. And you try to hide it, but I know._

"Well, it's not like I can do anything about it."

 _Actually, I have an idea._

"I don't think I'm going to like this," Teddy said.

 _Trust me, you won't. But I think it'll help Ariel. If she's up for it._

I nodded.

"Whatever it takes."

Cam touched Teddy's hand and stood before us.

"It's good to have a body again, if even for a little while."

"Should I stay?" Teddy asked his twin.

"It's up to you."

"Actually, I think I'll give you two some privacy."

Once Teddy was gone, Cam turned to me.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I want you to take all your anger out on me. That's the only way this will work. Don't hold back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"I don't think…"

"Ri, just try."

"But I don't…"

Cam kissed me, a harsh, bruising kiss.

"What are you doing? Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm still attracted to you. And I'm tired of never being in control."

"And you thought _kissing me against my will_ would help?"

Cam shrugged. "It works for the other guys on the team."

"Since when do you listen to them?!"

"What does it matter? You're my best friend."

"So? I love Teddy!

"Sure you do. You were attracted to him because of me. Can't say I blame you."

"This isn't you!"

"How would you know? Besides, I don't want to be known as the depressed loser who offed himself."

"But that's exactly what you did!"

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out."

"Why would you hurt me like that? Why would you hurt Maya like that? Don't you know how loved you were?"

"Loved?" Cam scoffed. "If you guys really loved me you wouldn't have let me kill myself."

"It was your decision!"

"And a bad one. I can't believe I gave up Earth for this. What a tradeoff. I can't rest until I help someone find peace. What a joke. It's not all bad, though. I still have you."

"But Maya is your girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend, Ri. As in former. No more."

"You seriously cannot be hitting on me. You're dead. I'm not!"

"I'm not dead right now. Why don't we celebrate?"

"I have no interest in _celebrating_ with you right now, Cam."

"Aww, why not? I think you and I would have a lot of fun together."

"No. The only person I want is Teddy."

"Great. Using my brother to kill the mood. Real sweet, Ri."

"What is wrong with you?"

"Not a thing."

Cam smirked at me.

His callous disregard for everything made me so angry. Of course I knew he was just baiting me. The real Cam Saunders would never act like this.

But I continued to play along. Cam was right. I needed to deal with my anger in a constructive way.

"I hate you. I hate you for never speaking up and telling someone what you were going through. I hate you for killing yourself and leaving me and Maya and everyone else who cared about you to pick up the pieces. I don't think I can ever forgive you for that. You don't deserve forgiveness."

I was crying now, unable to stop the words from tumbling from my lips.

"What you did was the most cruel thing I can ever imagine. I know you were depressed, but you should have talked to me! I would have found someone to help you! I loved you, Cam! I still do! And it hurts knowing that it could have been prevented. It hurts that you're here, but you're not really here."

Cam nodded, his face wet with tears.

"I know, Ri. I know, and I'm so incredibly sorry."

He hugged me tightly.

"If I could go back to that day, I would."

Our eyes met, and he smiled.

"I love you, Ri. Always."

The look in his eyes warmed me to my toes.

He kissed my forehead.

"You did a great job, Ri."

"Thanks for insisting I do this."

"Of course."

He held me against him for a few more minutes.

"Don't worry about Maya. She'll come around."

"I have to apologize."

Suddenly I had a vision.

When I came out of my trance, I said, "I have to apologize to her as soon as possible."

Cam nodded.

"So I guess you're crashing the party."

"Yes. And I'm taking Teddy with me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Lost and Found**

 **Chapter 5: Party Crashers (Part 2)**

 _The following Thursday…_

 _Ariel's POV_

"Are you sure about this?" Teddy asked me as we drove to Toronto.

"Where's your sense of adventure? I thought this was _exactly_ the kind of thing you would do."

"Crashing a party? Sure. Crashing a party where my ex-best friend was going to be? Not so much."

"You think I'm being stupid."

"No, of course not, Ariel. I just think you're setting yourself up for disappointment. What if she doesn't forgive you?"

I didn't reply.

Teddy looked at me, realization dawning.

"That's not the only reason you're going, is it? You had a vision, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Because my Visions aren't always right. And I _really_ hope this one doesn't come true."

"Why not?"

"I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"I guess that's fair."

I glanced at my boyfriend.

Teddy could pretend it didn't matter, but I knew my decision to not tell him my Vision really hurt him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have."

"You're allowed to your privacy, Ariel. It's not a big deal."

"No, it is. I keep…I keep messing everything up."

"What are you talking about?"

"This probably isn't the time for this conversation."

"We have a five hour drive ahead of us."

"Right."

I gathered my thoughts, then said, "Look, Teddy, this is my first relationship. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything right. I just…I don't want us to end up hating each other."

"I could never hate you, Ariel. I just need you to be honest with me when it matters."

"I can do that."

"Good. And I promise to do the same. You mean a lot to me. I don't want to lose you. Ever. I wouldn't be able to handle it."

His eyes met mine, and the vulnerability in them tugged at my heart.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

The corners of his mouth raised upward in a smile.

"I love you, Teddy."

"I love you too."

We were silent for a few minutes, then he said, "Okay, onto logistics. Where are we going to stay? Are there any hotels near the Hollingsworth place?"

"I can check."

I took out my phone and started typing.

"I still can't believe you have that phone."

"Hey, this phone works great," I protested.

"Yeah, if you like being electrocuted every five minutes," Teddy muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said sweetly.

"Yeah, okay."

"I know what to get you for your birthday, at least."

"That's really nice of you, but it's okay. No need to waste your money."

"It's not a waste. Spending money on you is never a waste."

 _Here we go again. You two make me sick._

"Hi, Cam. Nice to see you too," Teddy said, his eyes meeting his twin's in the rearview mirror.

"I think _someone_ misses Maya," I said pointedly.

"Yeah, Ariel's right. If you want to hang out with Maya, it's fine with us. You don't need to be our bodyguard 24/7."

 _No, I think it's better if I stay here. If I end up at Maya's, I'm going to be tempted to punch Miles. Not that he would be able to feel it._

"Wow, I didn't think you hated Miles that much."

"I think he's just jealous."

 _Can you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?_

"We're sorry, Cam. Just promise that when you _actually_ see Miles, you won't punch him."

 _No promises. Although, Zig will be there, so maybe I'll have a new target._

"Let that go, man. He doesn't seem that bad," Teddy tried to tell his twin.

 _You don't know him like I do. He likes to psych out Maya's boyfriends. Like Eli._

"He didn't know you were depressed. Besides, Eli is bipolar. Zig isn't," I pointed out.

"Okay, I'm lost."

"I'll explain later," I told Teddy.

"All right."

 _That doesn't matter. He should just leave Maya alone._

"It's kind of hard for him to do that when he's living with her."

Cam and Teddy stared at me.

 _What?_

"Yes, what? Zig and Maya are living together?"

"Yes."

 _Why on earth?_

"Because he's being hounded by the gang, and Maya's place is the safest for now."

 _He better not make a move on her._

"He likes her, so I don't know about all that."

 _Unbelievable. I die, and suddenly Zig thinks he can go after Maya._

"Well, are you okay with Maya dating?"

Cam glared at me.

"I'll take that as a no," Teddy said, chuckling.

 _It's not funny!_

"So, should Maya be a nun?"

 _That would be awesome._

Teddy and I rolled our eyes.

"Maya needs to get over you, Cam. If she wants to date, you should let her. What, should she never get married?"

 _I'm not saying that. I just…guys can be horrible, and Maya's sweet. I don't want them to corrupt her._

"Okay, to be fair, Maya isn't the same person she was when you met her. She's changed. A lot."

 _I just want to protect her. Like I want to protect you._

"Well, you can't protect us from everything, but it's sweet of you to want to try."

 _So you're saying I should let her date Miles._

"Not Miles, exactly, but you should at least be okay with whoever she decides to date. And that includes Zig."

 _No thank you._

"Okay, apart from the fact that he cheated on Tori with Maya, and that he's partially responsible for your death, why else do you not want him to date Maya?"

 _Shouldn't that be reason enough?_

"I agree with you, bro. And I want to find this guy myself and give him a piece of my mind. He shouldn't have said what he did to you. It was seriously uncalled for." Teddy said angrily.

"Just don't hurt him." I cautioned my boyfriend.

"No promises," he said darkly.

"Teddy!"

"What? I'm just being honest. I never got to know Cam when he was alive, and the guy sort of responsible for his death is strutting around, free as a bird. Don't I have a right to be angry?"

"Of course, but do you really want to go to jail for another three months? Or longer?"

Teddy sighed. "I guess you're right."

"You _guess_?!"

 _Calm down, Ri. I know my brother, and he won't do anything. He's smarter than that._

"Thanks, man. So, back to my original question. Any hotels near the Hollingsworth mansion?"

"I'm not seeing any. This is crazy. We really should have figured this out _before_ we left."

Then I had an idea.

"Let me make a few phone calls."

I called Becky Baker, a senior at Degrassi and one of my good friends.

"Becks? This is Ariel."

"Hey, Ariel. Wow, I haven't heard from you in ages. How are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, I'm sorry to only be calling you now, but I need a favor."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Are you going to Miles Hollingsworth's party?"

"Yes. Do you need a ride?"

"Not exactly. My boyfriend and I need a place to stay. Just for a night."

"I'd love to help. Let me ask my parents."

A few minutes later, she said, "Sorry, Ariel. My parents said no."

"It's okay. It was a long shot anyway. See you at the party, though?"

"Definitely."

"Thanks. Bye!"

"Bye."

"No luck?" Teddy asked.

"Nope. But I've got lots of contacts. I'm sure we'll find something."

Half an hour later, I still had no one I could ask.

"I hate to do this, but I'm calling Maya."

"Let me talk to her."

"She doesn't know you."

"Exactly, that's why I'm calling her."

"You can't talk and drive, though."

 _Call Zig._

I turned to stare at Cam.

"Seriously?"

 _You need somewhere to stay, don't you? Call him._

"Zig and I haven't spoken since he tried to apologize for what he said to you and I shot him down. I can't call to ask him for a favor."

 _I'll handle him. Just dial his number._

Cam disappeared.

I phoned Zig, secretly hoping he wouldn't pick up.

"Hello?"

Crap.

"Zig, this is Ariel."

There was silence on the other end, then he said, "What do you want?"

"Look, I'm sorry for how things ended between us, but I'm calling for a favor."

"I'm not doing anything for you."

"What about Maya?"

"Last I heard she wants nothing to do with you. Not that I blame her."

"Do it for me, then," Teddy interjected.

I stared at him.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Are you crazy?!"

"Relax, Ariel," Teddy whispered. "Trust me."

I could hear Zig exhale sharply.

"What was that? _Who_ was that?" he asked frantically.

"Remember me?" Teddy asked.

"Is that… _Cam_?"

"Maybe. And you owe me one. You know that, right?"

"What?"

"Oh, don't act all coy with me, Zig Novak. If you want my forgiveness, then do Ariel this favor."

"How…this is some kind of sick joke!"

"No joke. I'm back for good. So, do we have a deal?"

I laughed silently.

"Yes. I'll tell Maya."

"Good. And Zig?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Stay away from Maya. She's _mine_. And I'm coming for her."

"She's not dating me."

"That doesn't matter. I know you like her, and I'm just warning you, leave her alone. Like you said you should have."

"I…I will. So, the favor?"

"Ariel and I need a place to stay for the night."

"You're both coming _here_?"

"Is that a problem?" Teddy inquired sharply.

"No, no, of course not. I'll let Maya and Mrs. Matlin know. We can share or something."

"Great. See you in a couple of hours."

He hung up, and I collapsed in a fit of laughter.

"Oh…my….God! You…you should _seriously_ consider becoming an actor! That was amazing!"

 _Yes, it was._

"I wasn't _that_ good."

"I recorded it. I'll send it to Dylan and the others and see what they think."

"Whatever. I assume you have Maya's address?"

"Yes."

"Great, then let's go."

 _A few hours later…_

While Teddy got the suitcases out of the car, I rang the doorbell.

It opened almost immediately.

Maya stood in the doorway.

"I'm not happy about this, but come in."

I walked in to find Zig on the couch, watching TV.

He switched it off and stood up.

"Hey, Ariel."

"Hi."

We stood there awkwardly for a minute, then Teddy came in.

"Nice place."

Maya and Zig stared at each other, then back at Teddy.

"You've been here before," Maya said slowly.

Teddy smirked at her.

"Yeah, well, I'm not Cam. I'm his twin brother, Teddy Ralston."

"What the…you played us!"

"Yep, and you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker," I said, slinging my arms around my boyfriend's shoulders.

"I stand by my previous statement. That was a _fucked up thing to do,_ Ariel."

"Well, I guess you can say I learned from the best," I retorted.

Maya ran out of the room.

"Real nice, guys." Zig said, then went after Maya.

Teddy turned to me.

"How could you say that?"

"I didn't do anything wrong! Besides, _you_ were the one who impersonated Cam. Not me. I told you _not_ to do that."

Teddy shook me off him.

"I don't know what's going on with you, Ariel, but I don't like this side of you. I think we need to take a break."

"But we just started dating!"

"Yeah, I think this was a mistake. I'm going to find Maya and Zig and straighten this mess out. You can do whatever you want."

"Teddy, wait! Please!"

"No, Ariel. Just…no."

He went to find Maya and Zig, and I sat on the couch, my mind spinning.

How could it all have gone so wrong so quickly?

 _Ri, what's up with you? Talk to me._

 _ **All I do is talk. I'm tired of talking.**_

 __ _What are you going to do?_

I saw Teddy's bag on the floor near the television, and opened it.

Inside was a bottle of whiskey.

 _Ariel, stop. This is not a good idea._

 _ **Why? I keep hurting the people I care about, so maybe I should just be someone else.**_

 __ _Don't._

 _ **Make me.**_

 __I opened the bottle and started drinking.

Within minutes, I'd finished the whole bottle.

 _You're not used to having that much alcohol in your system._

 _ **How do you know? I've been drinking since I was ten. My parents wanted to make sure their kids could drink responsibly.**_

 __ _Yes, responsibly. Drinking a full bottle of whiskey is NOT being responsible, Ariel!_

 _ **Like you care. Just leave me alone.**_

 __I walked out of the Matlin house and made my way down the street.

 _An hour later…_

 _Teddy's POV_

After making sure Maya was okay, I went to find Ariel.

Cam accosted me in the kitchen.

 _You have to come quickly, bro! Ri found your whiskey and now she's wandering the neighborhood!_

"What?! We have to find her!"

"Dude, who are you talking to?"

Zig was standing behind me.

"Never mind. It's Ariel. She's drunk and missing."

Zig's eyes widened.

"She's _drunk_?"

"Yes, I'll explain on the way."

"Guys, what's going on?"

Maya came down the stairs, her eyes red from crying.

"Ariel's missing. Look, I know you guys are fighting right now, but if we don't find her…"

I shuddered. Even though we were fighting, Ariel Summers was the love of my life. If I lost her, I would surely become dust.

"It doesn't matter. Where did she go?"

The three of us left the house and started walking.

Half an hour later, we saw Ariel in an alley, a guy pressed up against her.

"Don't worry, honey, I can show you a good time."

Without thinking, I grabbed the guy, slamming him into the wall.

"Don't touch her, you bastard."

"I was just…"

"We know what you were doing," Zig growled. "Leave her alone."

His hands closed around the guy's throat.

Maya went over to Ariel.

"Hey, it's okay. He's not going to hurt you."

Ariel looked at her.

"I'm so sorry, Maya. This is all my fault."

"No, no. This guy is slime. You didn't deserve this. _No one_ does."

She hugged Ariel tightly.

"Let's get you home, okay?"

I put my arm around Ariel.

"Hey. I'm right here."

She sobbed into my shoulder.

"You'll be okay," I soothed.

Once we got to the house, Maya took her to the bathroom.

Zig and I talked in the kitchen.

"That was rough."

"Yeah, if we hadn't found her when we did…"

"I know."

"Thank you. Really."

Zig nodded.

"I'm glad I could help. Ariel and I might not be friends, but that doesn't mean I want to see her hurt."

"I get it."

Zig looked at me for a minute, then said, "I'm sorry, Teddy. For everything. I shouldn't have said what I did to Cam. At all. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes. At least you got to know him when he was alive. I didn't."

"What happened?"

I told him the story, ending with, "I just wish we could have grown up together, you know? Maybe I could have saved him."

"I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now."

"No, you can't. He was the only sibling I had, and I didn't even know."

"I'm so sorry. I lost my brother a couple of months ago. I was selling pot in my mother's store, and some guys came to get me, but they killed my brother instead. I hate feeling so guilty. It's like…it's like the universe is punishing me for what I did to Cam. Which I deserve, I guess. If I could go back, or if I could just apologize to him…that sounds stupid, I know."

"No, it doesn't."

I looked at Cam, who nodded.

"I'm sure wherever he is, he forgives you. I don't think he'd want you to hold on to all that guilt. Believe me, it will destroy you."

"You are completely different from him, aren't you?"

"You have no idea."

 _Ariel's POV_

I leaned against the wall, my head pounding.

Maya sat next to me, pressing a cool cloth to my head.

"Just relax. I think you'll be okay after a while. But you'll definitely have a hangover in the morning."

"I'm so stupid. My parents are going to kill me."

"Maybe, but who says they have to find out?"

Maya smirked at me.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm just making sure you don't die, Ariel. It doesn't mean we're friends or anything."

"That's fair."

"But seriously, what's going on? It's like you're all over the place. One minute you're okay and the next…"

"I don't know. I really don't."

"Is it Cam?"

"No, I'm okay. I know that sounds horrible in light of everything, but I'm okay. I promise. How have you been holding up with it?"

"I'm trying. I do like Miles, but…Cam was my first real boyfriend. I know what you think, but I did love Cam."

"I shouldn't have said what I did. I was just really angry. I've spent so much time caring about him that it's hard for me to stop."

"I understand. And Teddy really seems to care about you."

"I know. I care about him too. More than I've ever cared for anyone."

"So what is it, then?"

"If I could tell you, I would. It's like there's something in my head I'm trying to get at, and I can't, like there's a block or something."

"Maybe you should see a psychologist."

"Maybe."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Well, the room's stopped spinning."

Maya helped me up and we went to the kitchen.

"You okay?" were the first words out of Zig's mouth.

I nodded.

"Thanks. I mean it."

"No problem."

Teddy looked between the two of us, then said, "I think I'll give you guys some privacy."

When he and Maya were gone, I went to sit at the table.

Zig came to sit across from me.

"I think we should talk," he said.

"That's a good idea. I'm sorry for not accepting your apology after Cam died. I was angry and I took it out on you."

"I know. After Cam died I kind of lost my head. I wish I could take it all back."

"Well, I forgive you."

"Thanks."

"Of course."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm really scared, Ariel. This whole gang thing…I should never have gotten caught up in it. You must think I'm stupid."

"I don't. I'm not here to judge you."

Zig looked surprised. "Really?"

"I'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world if I did that."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask Teddy. I don't feel like discussing his private life without his permission."

"Okay."

"So, do you think we can…you know, start over?"

Zig smiled. "Yes. At least that can go back to normal."

"Great. So, want to fill me in on what's been happening at Degrassi?"

"Sure."

We talked for a while, then I went to find Teddy.

He was sitting on the couch, channel surfing.

"Hey," I said.

He looked up.

"Hey. Come sit."

I sat next to him, wondering how to start.

"So, I guess we're definitely broken up, huh?" I asked, not looking at him.

He lifted my chin, looking into my eyes.

"Is that what you want? Because it's not what I want. When I saw that guy about to…the only thing I cared about was making sure he never hurt you. That _no one_ ever does. Including me. If breaking up with me would hurt you, I wouldn't do it. I just said what I did because I wasn't sure…I'm still not sure what's happening to you."

"Neither am I."

"Regardless, though, I want you to know that I love you and I will always love you. So, are we breaking up?"

"No. I'm sorry I've been so weird lately…I was telling Maya that it's like there's something I'm trying to remember, something _important_ , but I don't know what it is."

"I'm sure you'll remember soon. So, let's talk about tomorrow. What are we doing before the party?"

"I don't know. Zig and Maya have school, but it's not like I can go with them, since I transferred."

"Yeah, and I don't want to be cooped up in the house all day."

"We could go ice skating."

Teddy raised an eyebrow at me.

"Ice skating?"

"Is that weird? That's weird."

Teddy smiled. "No, it's not. If you want to ice skate, then that's what we'll do."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

He kissed me gently, his fingers weaving through my hair.

"Don't the two of you look cute together."

Teddy and I pulled apart to see Mrs. Matlin standing in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Matlin. We were just…" I said, jumping up.

She smiled.

"It's all right, Ariel."

Teddy went to help her with the groceries.

"Such a gentleman. You must be Teddy."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll put these away for you."

When he was gone, she winked at me.

"He's a keeper, that one."

I flushed lightly.

"Oh, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're in love. Celebrate it."

"Thanks, Mrs. Matlin."

"Well, I'm going to get started on dinner. It's good to see you again."

"Same here."

 _The next day…_

After Teddy and I spent the day at the skating rink, we went home to get ready for the party.

An hour later, we were all ready to go.

The party was in full swing by the time we arrived.

"I'm going to find Miles. I'll see you guys later," Maya told us.

"Have fun."

Zig found some of his friends and went to hang out with them.

"Guess it's just you and me," Teddy said.

"Yep. What do you want to do?"

"Whatever I do, I'm not letting you out of my sight for one second. Not after what happened yesterday."

"Sounds fair."

"And no drinking. Either of us."

"I'm not going to stop you from drinking."

"Well, I'm not going to tempt you. Not tonight, anyway."

"Well, not like that," I said, giving him a lascivious smirk.

He sucked in a breath. "Ariel, stop looking at me like that."

"Can you not control yourself?" I asked quietly so only he could hear.

"It's getting harder by the minute," he murmured.

"Maybe you _shouldn't_ , then."

"What about the party?"

I scanned the crowd, my eyes settling on a girl with long black hair and brown eyes.

Zoe Rivas. Star of _West Drive_.

Good. She was my target.

As I walked towards her, I suddenly got a strong sense of foreboding.

 _It is not your place to interfere._

I turned to Teddy, pulling him to me.

"Ariel? Are you all right?"

"Where is Cam?" I whispered.

 _I'm right here, Ri. What do you need?_

 _ **Why can't I help Zoe?**_

 __ _You have to let things happen on their own, Ri. Only then will everything turn out the way it's supposed to._

 _ **So what do I do now?**_

 __ _Enjoy the party. Relax._

"I agree with Cam. Just chill, Ariel. Want to go for a swim?"

"Okay."

Forty-five minutes later, we got out of the pool and went to dry off.

Once we were dressed, Teddy and I walked back to the entrance of the backyard, watching everyone else have fun.

He said, "So, about what you said earlier…is that offer still good?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"On what you want."

"I told you I would never force you. I meant it. Do you want to?"

"I did have this crazy idea of waiting till marriage."

Teddy chuckled. "It's not crazy. It's good to have morals."

"But that doesn't mean we can't do other things."

"Like?"

"Let's start here…" I said, nibbling on his ear gently, trailing a finger down his neck.

"Ariel…"

"Shh."

We backed up until we fell on the couch, kissing passionately.

"Ahem."

We looked up. A guy with short brown hair and brown eyes was staring at us.

"If you wanted to do _that_ , there are bedrooms available."

"Sorry," Teddy said sheepishly.

"No worries. I'm Miles. Miles Hollingsworth."

"You're Maya's boyfriend," I said, recognizing him.

"So she's talked about me. I'm flattered."

"We'll get out of your hair."

"Okay, but I should at least know your names first, right?"

"Yes. I'm Ariel, and this is my boyfriend, Teddy."

"Good to meet you both. Have fun."

Before we left, I saw Zoe stagger towards him drunkenly.

This was not going to end well.


End file.
